1. Field
This application relates generally to the field of toilet accessories, and more specifically, to toilet seat or seat/lid lifters operated by application of pressure to a foot pedal.
2. Prior Art
To the inventor's knowledge, there exists no commercially available foot actuated toilet seat or seat/lid lifting and self-lowering mechanism which avoids the associated sanitary problems while simultaneously meeting minimum child safety standards.
Numerous devices for raising the toilet seat without a person using their hands have been conceived, devised, and patented, but none have been generally accepted by manufacturers or the public. This lack of acceptance and use is due, at least in part, to several disadvantages inherent in the design of prior art devices. Apparent disadvantages extend to, but are not limited to, mechanical complexities which require elaborate installation procedures or modifications that are commercially unviable. Although most of the prior art devices are functional in lifting the toilet seat, they fail to provide features such as 1) Universal application to most all commercial and domestic toilets without any modifications to the toilet itself or any adjoining floor or wall structures; 2) Ergonomically enhance the toilet's features without obtrusive or dangerous appendiges; and most importantly, 3) maintain a level of safety for users, especially children, that ensures acceptance by manufacturers and use by the general public.
By way of example, the prior art discloses in U.S. Pat. No. 5,237,708 of Zamoyski a foot actuated toilet seat lifting and lowering device.                U.S. Pat. No. 5,487,192 of Hodges discloses a foot actuated toilet seat lifting and self-lowering apparatus.        U.S. Pat. No. 6,470,503B1 of Holmes discloses a foot actuated device for lifting a toilet seat.        U.S. Pat. No. 5,829,068 of Smith discloses a toilet seat raising and lowering device.        U.S. Pat. No. 5,488,743 of Alfonso discloses a mechanical apparatus used to lift and lower the lid and seat of a toilet by way of pedal.        
These previously listed prior art devises are only a few that exist in this field, but serve as an example of the various designs and constructions heretofore devised and utilized for the purpose of raising and lowering toilet seats that share the common traits of familiar, expected, and obvious structural configurations that are mechanically complex, obtrusive, limited in their applications, and pose hazards to users, specifically children.
Therefore, it can be appreciated that there exists a continuing need for a new and improved mechanism for raising and self-lowering of a toilet seat or seat/lid through the use of a foot pedal, while providing manufacturers with a commercially viable product and providing the general public with a universally adaptable, inexpensive, readily installable, and ergonomically advanced mechanism that will perform its task efficiently, and most importantly, safely.